Student files lawsuit over coed bathrooms

POULTNEY, VT — Green Mountain College (GMC) freshman Jennifer Weiler has filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Department of Public Safety (DPS) claiming that coed bathrooms in the dormitory where she lives are in violation of state plumbing and building codes adopted in 2003, according to the Daily Orange.

According to the story, the codes require that separate facilities be provided for each gender where restroom facilities are required in public buildings, but the DPS said the codes are only applied to bathrooms in existence before the codes were in place if the plumbing has been changed or altered.

Kevin Coburn, the director of communications at GMC, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said that students uncomfortable with the coed bathrooms could work with residential life staff to find a more suitable living situation, the story stated.

Weilers attorney, Pamela Moreau, said: "[…] A dorm is such an intimate place, and people disrobe to get in the shower. There is not at all the same kind of intimacy in most other public buildings, yet coed bathrooms are not allowed."

Moreau also added that it is uncommon to find coed bathrooms in public buildings, the story added.

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High school invaded by dozens of bats

MONT BELVIEU, TX — Barbers Hill High School turned into the bat cave after as many as 52 winged rodents invaded the building, according to KHOU-TV.

According to the story, the school was in chaos Monday as students ran from the bats and maintenance workers rushed to round up all the pests and remove them from the building.

Grayson Long, a sophomore at Barbers Hill High School, said: “It almost hit me and someone else in the head.”

Extruder devices, allowing the bats to exit the building but not fly back in, were installed at the school, the story stated.

According to Mont Belvieu Independent School District Assistant Superintendent Gayle Woodall, the captured bats have been tested and none of them are diseased, the story noted.

Officials are still determining whether or not students will return to the building for classes today, the story added.

New Facebook data center to be energy efficient

PRINEVILLE, OR — A data center for the popular social networking site Facebook.com currently under construction will have a number of energy efficient features, according to Environmental Leader.

According to the story, the new facility will feature an evaporative heating and cooling system in which an airside economizer brings in cool air from the outside and heat generated from servers will be used to heat the offices.

The 147,000-square-foot data center will also feature a system for maintaining uninterrupted electricity that saves energy usage by 12 percent, the story stated.

The data center — a first for Facebook, which had previously only leased storage — is seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation, the story added.

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Toilet seat dermatitis on the rise

BALTIMORE — According to research by the John Hopkins Children's Center, toilet seat dermatitis — once thought to be eradicated in developed countries — is making a comeback due to harsh cleaning chemicals and popular wooden toilet seats covered with varnishes and paints, according to a press release.

According to the release, children are susceptible to the irritation — which can cause painful and itchy skin eruptions — after repeated use of wooden toilet seats or those with harsh cleaning chemical residue.

Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigator Bernard Cohen, M.D. said: "Toilet seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries, but one that younger pediatricians have not come across in their daily practice. If our small analysis is any indication of what's happening, we need to make sure the condition is on every pediatrician's radar."

Cohen says that toilet seats and cleaners — both at home and school — may be the culprit for irritation.

To prevent toilet seat dermatitis, Cohen recommends: Using paper toilet seat covers in public restrooms; replacing wooden toilet seats with plastic ones; cleaning toilet seats and bowls daily; and avoiding harsh cleaners containing skin irritants like phenol and formaldehyde, the story noted.

Lead Researcher Ivan Litvinov, Ph.D. said: "Some of the children in our study suffered for years before the correct diagnosis was made."

Researchers also noted that persistently irritated skin is vulnerable to bacteria and may lead to more serious infections, the story added.

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Hundreds sick after casino norovirus outbreak

CHEROKEE, NC — Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel is cleaning its slot machines with bleach every two hours after an outbreak of norovirus, a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus whose eradication requires extensive cleaning of surfaces, that has left nearly 250 people sick, according to the Associated Press.

According to the story, the outbreak began on January 12 and has caused symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea in casino visitors.

In addition to cleaning the 3,300 slot machines, casino workers are also sanitizing door knobs, escalator handrails and restrooms on an hourly basis, the story stated.

David Bergmire-Sweat, a state epidemiologist, said that very few of the casino's 7,500 daily visitors have shown symptoms of norovirus.

FEA to guide Austin Convention Center through LEED-EBOM certification

DALLAS, TX — Facility Engineering Associates (FEA) has announced a contract with the city of Austin to provide consulting relative to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings (EB) process, according to a press release.

According to the release, FEA will guide the city through the LEED-EB certification process for the Austin Convention Center, which began working toward their goal of energy efficiency and LEED Gold certification in 2007.

FEA works with a team consisting of many Austin-based firms like Winterowd Associates Inc., Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting Inc. , MWM Design Group Inc. and Encotech Engineering Consulting Inc., the release stated.

In addition to their Dallas office, FEA also has locations in Austin, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, San Diego, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Kansas City, Fairfax, Virginia, and Greenville, South Carolina, the release added.

Janitors protest Safeway's use of harsh cleaning chemicals

ROCKRIDGE, CA — A group of janitors joined protesters against the expansion of two Safeway locations to oppose the use of harsh cleaning chemicals at the stores, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

According to the story, organizations in the community oppose the proposed design for the locations, saying the two-level, modern stores will not fit with the neighborhood.

Janitors say that their cause falls in line with the opposition to the expansion, the story stated.

A statement from the union representing the janitors, the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Local 1877 of Northern California, stated: "The demonstration comes as Safeway's plans to expand its two stores in North Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood are facing opposition from community stakeholders concerned about potential negative impacts on public safety and the environment."

SEIU Local 1877 of Northern California Vice President Denise Solis added: "If Safeway wants to expand its stores in our community, they must take meaningful steps to protect the health and safety of workers, customers and the environment."

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EPA: Companies can no longer claim chemical confidentiality

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has overturned a policy that allowed companies to make a confidential business information (CBI) claim when reporting potentially dangerous chemicals to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Inventory, according to a press release.

According to the release, companies that manufacture, process or distribute chemicals are required to immediately provide notice to the EPA if they learn that a chemical presents a substantial risk of injury to health or the environment under Section 8(e) of the TSCA.

Under the previous policy, however, companies would often claim CBI to avoid providing the actual identity of the chemical to the public, the release stated.

According to the release, this new action will give the public more identifying information in the Section 8(e) reports, which are published on the EPA website.

This latest move is part of an ongoing effort by the EPA to utilize authority through the TSCA to the fullest extent possible, the release added.

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Blue Ridge Elementary school has four times the acceptable levels for radon

WALLA WALLA, WA – Blue Ridge Elementary School is taking immediate measures — including running heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems most of the day and notifying families — after an independent test found levels of radon as much as four times the acceptable amount recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to the Union-Bulletin.

According to the story, the tests, performed by Fulcrum Environmental Consulting, showed elevated levels occurred during evening and weekends when the school's HVAC system was not operational.

Walla Walla Public Schools Superintendent Rich Carter said: "The safety of our staff and students is our number one priority. We will do whatever it takes to develop a permanent solution to ensure radon levels are mitigated."

District officials are planning to perform a second round of tests to gain more data and test other facilities in the district as a precaution, the story stated.

The district is meeting with air quality professionals to develop a more permanent long-term plan, the story added.

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Alcohol-based hand sanitizer ignites at mall

SAUGUS, MA — Efforts by the Square One Mall to keep patrons healthy by providing alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations backfired after one of the sanitizing units spontaneously combusted earlier this week, according to The Daily Item.

The machine is powered by batteries rather than electricity, so many are puzzled as to how the blaze ignited, the story stated.

Town of Saugus Fire Department Chief James Blanchard said: "It had spread up the wall and set off the sprinklers. We're still looking into how that got started. We're trying to see if anyone else has had a similar problem. It's kind of unusual. I've never seen anything like this."

No one was hurt in the incident that was contained to a small area near the restrooms of the Square One Mall’s food court, the story noted.

Simon Malls, which owns Square One Mall, has placed similar dispensers in all of its malls, the story added.

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